Pentax Optio P70: Review

Posted to Digital Cameras 2010-03-22

Pentax Optio P70 review:

The Pentax Optio P70 12.0 megapixel camera is available in a choice of three colors, white, black and red. It features a wide angle zoom that is capable of 4x magnification to get the distance shot that is required. The 2.7 inch LCD screen readout on the back of the camera gives clear and bright display of shots so editing can be achieved easily.

The Optio P70 comes equipped with an ultra slim aluminum body , with the camera as a whole measuring a depth of just 0.8 inches, while weighing a light 4.4 ounces. Its compact design does not mean there has been any compromise on the features that are available, with a minimum shutter speed of 4 seconds and a maximum shutter speed of 1/1000 second still available. There are programmed and automatic exposure modes to give the extra control elements that are sometimes needed when taking pictures in differing environments.

Rating:

3.8 out of 5

Features

Additional features to help you take the best shot available include face detection technology and Pentax Digital Shake reduction to remove the effect that movement or jittery hands can sometimes have. Blink detection gives alerts should the camera notice any closed eyes. Movie recording capabilities include HD movie capture up to 720p quality at 15fps, with the in built microphone picking up any desired sound recording to go along. PictBridge support is available as well as some basic editing functions to crop or resize images via the cameras menu interface.

Ergonomics

The included lithium ion rechargeable battery should last for around 200 shots before needing to be recharged, with this decreasing depending on the amount of video or photo review that is done in between shots. Composite video/audio output connections as well as USB interface connections are available to get the information off the camera. SD Memory cards are used to store photos, and the camera comes with a carrying strap and software driver/utilities to get you up and running on your computer.

Summary

The Pentax Optio P70 has a good list of features that will help make it a worthwhile compact digital camera. For any higher end photography that you may wish to take such as scenery or important portraits, a camera with increased photo quality may be worth looking at. The slim, lightweight design, make this camera perfect to take on holidays or evenings out.

Pros

HD movie recording
12.0 Megapixel
Slim and lightweight
Good list of features

Cons

Loses some high end photo quality